One Year Later
by shanealt
Summary: One year after the defeat of the Brotherhood, everything has changed. A crisis rocked the Titans to the core...now, they return stronger than ever.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I do not professionally write for DC comics. Because of that, I cry. Well, no, not really.

Anyway, this is written to correspond with my Titans RP site T'alon, located at http/ It is not required to know anything about the site to enjoy this story, but if you want to join, we would gladly welcome you.

Enjoy!

The One Year Later

Jump City has faced many trials, and in the past year it has gone through many changes. Rebuilding from the trauma, that great crisis of two months past, has caused the city to radically shift from a peaceful, harmonious area, transforming into a massive rebuilding zone, complete with an uprising of villainy. The efforts of local heroes have been insufficient to quell the swarm of crime the city has faced, and things look to only get worse.

It was a quiet day, surprisingly enough, and civilians were wandering along the streets, proceeding through everyday life. Enough time had passed since the crisis, and already people were starting to forget the sheer terror, and the disasters they had experienced. Now, they just wandered through the streets, and cars had begun trafficking people to and from work. A local businessman, for instance, walked along with his daughter on this relaxed morning. His hand carried hers in an age-old sentiment, parent to child protection. He would escort her to school before turning around and heading to the office. It was the standard operating procedure for weekday mornings, and the young girl felt quite confident by her father's side.

This confidence was shattered when a rough hand, placed against her abdomen, sent her reeling to the side and into the streets. Her father gave a shout, and to the side of the road, a woman screamed as the man responsible for this heinous act darted forward, clutching a briefcase to his chest. This man was dressed almost as a court jester, with a purple headdress and a green cloth jumpsuit. "Out of my way!" he shouted, his voice deep, almost like a low growl. Continuously did he shove others out of his way, sending them barreling into one another, and every so often he peered into the sky behind him.

It was this action that caused others to do the same, and they saw a site that was most welcome. Beneath the sun flew four beings, protectors of the city. They had been absent as of late, but no longer. Starfire, the golden alien with the blazing hair, soared through the sky with great light emerging from her hands and eyes. A mighty green falcon flapped his wings, pushing against the air thermals as one of Beast Boy's many forms. Another woman, with raven black hair and wearing a red jumpsuit adorned with stars, flew with these two, her arms outstretched with metal bands on her wrists. She was Wonder Girl, the teenage champion from Themysicira, and slightly ahead of them all was the Jack of All Trades, who rode her flying guitar like a surfboard. They were the Titans West, and Jump City was their home.

Several strings of music could be heard as the Jack of All Trades dived down from her guitar to catch and save the young girl, who had fallen into the path of a moving vehicle. The criminal responsible, going pale in fear of these emerging heroes, needed a place to hide before he was captured. This couldn't happen…not when **he** had promised safety.

There. An alleyway, hidden behind a construction line, caught the eye of this villain, and he ran towards it as if it would be a pure safe haven. Here, he could hide out until reinforcements came. Yes, that would suit his needs perfectly. As he ran into the alley, however, he came crashing suddenly into something hard. Slumping to the floor in shock, the criminal gazed upward to see a young man, in red and green, with a thin black mask and yellow cape. Robin, the Boy Wonder, stood with his bo staff outstretched, and he glared down at this criminal without the slightest hint of mercy.

Several minutes later, Robin emerged from the alley, dragging the unconscious form of the criminal behind him. As he looked around, he saw that several other villains had arrived on the scene…and that the Titans were doing their jobs quite effectively. Starfire released a charged starbolt, with devastating results, sending a blue-jester villain flying. He was caught by a golden lasso, courtesy of Wonder Girl, and then swung into a yellow-garbed villain. Both of them were instantly knocked unconscious.

After returning the young girl to her father, the Jack of All Trades promptly turned around and pressed a button on her guitar. Electrical rays shot out, smashing two of the villains to the ground. Only one Titan was absent from the scene...Beast Boy. In the form of a mountain lion he prowled, chasing a red-clothed criminal through the streets. Eventually the criminal reached a dead end, and fearfully turned around to confront the green hero. Beast Boy leapt forward as the lion, prepared to tackle the villain to the ground, but another body slammed into him, and he was sent reeling. The shock sent him reverting back to his human form, and as he shook his head and stood up, he saw two things. First was the villain, running back in the direction of the other Titans—where he would be caught, no doubt. Second, and more importantly, was what had hit him. It was a wolf…a very familiar wolf. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed. "Russet," he whispered.

The wolf jumped forward with a throaty growl, and Beast Boy, taking the same form as his attacker, did the same. They smashed together in the air, and as they fell to the ground Beast Boy brought one of his legs forward. The nails of a wolf weren't as sharp as those of a feline predator, but they were still enough to hurt, as the slash against the wolf's stomach testified. Giving a whimper, the wolf quickly began a retreat, passing through an alleyway before falling out of sight.

The changeling shifted back to his human form as the other Titans ran up. "We caught one of the villains fleeing out of here," Robin said as he came next to his green-skinned friend. "What happened? Why didn't you chase after him yourself?"

"It was Russet," Beast Boy replied, turning to face the team leader. "One of his wolves. It attacked me, and then ran away."

"But why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you go after him?" The question came from the newest member of the team, the Jack of All Trades. Beast Boy wanted to like her…he really did…but for all she represented, for the reason she was a Titan…he just couldn't.

It was because of this that his answer to her was, perhaps, in an unreasonably harsh tone. "I'm not going to hunt a retreating animal," he said, and walked away angrily.

While the Titans spoke with the police about the villains, the wolf had made great progress, journeying through alleyways and abandoned buildings. It was in one of these buildings that it stopped, laying down on the ground as a figure approached it. A boy, garbed in battle gear, knelt down next to the wolf. Gently, the wolf licked the boys fingers, recognizing its master. "You did well," Russet said, standing up slowly after removing the hidden camera in the wolf's fur. "The Laugh Pack failed in their duties, master," he said into a communicator. "That pathetic group of jester villains was captured by the Titans West. Should I arrange a squadron to rescue them?"

"No," came the cold voice from the communicator. "They served their purpose, exactly as I wished. We now have visual confirmation on the abilities of the new Titans West. That was all I needed."

This piece of information took Russet somewhat aback. "But master," he stammered, "I thought you had enlisted the Laugh Pack to steal highly important data from S.T.A.R. Labs?"

There was a very chilling sound on the other end of the communicator…if Russet didn't know better, he might mistake it for laughter. "That's what I told the Laugh Pack when I hired them, yes, but they never stood a chance at success. No, they were decoys. You, on the other hand, succeeded with flying colors, gathering the video needed on these new Titans. You did your job well, my apprentice."

Russet swallowed, pride beginning to flow through his spirits. "Thank you, Slade."

A loud crunch could be heard as a red-fisted boxing glove, driven by the force of the arrow, smashed into the head of the robotic sentry, crushing its circuitry. As the robot fell to the ground, broken, the heroic archer known as Speedy, who served as co-leader of Titans East, notched another arrow to his bow. Jumping into the air, he kicked the head of one robot, while simultaneously spinning and releasing his arrow, sending it through the chest of another 'droid. It stuck in the chest for a moment, before the counter activated and the explosive within the arrowhead was set off. The robot was torn to pieces.

Several yards off, Aqualad was in a similar situation. As the former sidekick to Aquaman, the teenage champion of Atlantis could control the element of water, and he was doing that to the best of his ability against the oncoming robots. He had pulled a great deal of water up from the beach to help him here, and when he reached a dead end, he turned around and focused. The water rose up, a powerful column engulfing the robots before transforming into a mighty tidal wave. The robots that had once pursued him were quickly defeated by this aquatic attack.

Bumblebee had gone through some tough times lately, but one of the benefits of that was that she now knew what her strengths were, and what her weaknesses were. She knew that, while in diminuitive form, her electrical bursts were not nearly as powerful…but at the same time, she could easily avoid attacks. And so it was in this form that she chose to combat the robots, channeling the electricity through her B-stingers into a focused ray. One robot tried to leap up and grab her…instead of falling victim, she merely directed her attack towards its chest, where the main circuitry was held. An electrical current quickly spread throughout the entire mainframe, and the robot fell to the ground, deactivated. Flying higher in the air, she proceeded to utilize this attack against anyone else that may come at her.

In another area, several robots had no clue what was going on. Their programs never prepared them for anything like this…no matter what they did, it was as if they were being picked off, one by one, by a foe moving faster than their sensors could detect. In reality, it was not one foe, but two…the twin speedsters known only as Mas and Menos. Linked together, one riding atop the others shoulders, they traveled at supersonic speeds, smashing through the robots and easily wiping them out. Their anti-friction aura protected them from being hurt when they ran through a robot...the robots, on the other hand, weren't quite as lucky in this situation.

Three of the robotic androids had managed to fair much better than their counterparts, as they pursued the last member of the Titans East. She was a difficult one to capture, for she could easily teleport to another location when the robots got closer…but soon, it would all be over, she she'd be finished. At least, that was the initial impression. It quickly proved incorrect when the hooded figure called Omen released two powerful psionic bolts, scrambling the hardware of the robots and sending them crashing to the ground in deactivation.

As the fight progressed, Speedy and Aqualad found themselves fighting back-to-back against the robots. Speedy fired off an arrow, while Aqualad struck back with his hydro-bursts, but the robots kept coming. "They just keep coming," Speedy said, notching an arrow and firing it. It hit a robot, but two more merely walked forward to take its place.

"We can't keep fighting them like this," Aqualad agreed. The water he had leeched from the ocean was finally beginning to run out, and he didn't have the strength left to grab more. "We have to find a way to stop them, now."

The two of them ducked down, sidestepping away from the robots until they reached Omen. With her telepathic talents, she contacted the others, and they quickly arrived. "What's the plan?" Aqualad asked, now that both Speedy and Bumblebee were together. They led this team…they'd know what to do.

A glance between the two of them was all that was needed. Their instincts worked well together, and it wasn't hard to analyze what strategy would work best here. "Bold formation," Bumblebee said, hovering in the air while in her miniature form.

"You heard the lady," Speedy said, as they turned back towards the robots. "Titans Together!" he roared, and as one united team, the Titans East charged forth to deal with these robots once and for all.

An hour later, the cleanup had finally finished, and the Titans East stood with the police and one scientist, who seemed extremely apologetic and grateful. "Thank you, Titans," he repeated, shaking Bumblebee's hand. "When I created these security androids, I never imagined they'd get out of control and do…well, _this_. You saved all of our lives."

"Professor Belter," Bumblebee said, speaking to the scientist, "You have a number of security records from around the city, don't you? That is to say…between you and the police department, you could probably access videotapes from most public areas?"

The scientist—Lloyd Belter—nodded as he answered. "Yes, the robotic surveillance is—well, was, I guess—recorded and transmitted to both my laboratory and the police station, to help with public protection—as per your request, for Project: Rejuvenation, to help keep crime out of the city. Why do you ask?"

"A friend of ours went missing," Bumblebee said, hoping that he'd be able to help. "Hanglider, a hero from the Silver Dawn. Everyone we've spoken to says they last saw him downtown, where several of your robots were operating before they went rogue. I was hoping you could give us something to go on."

"I wish I could help you," Belter apologized, "I really do. But I'm afraid nothing of that nature is on those videotapes. You could double-check with the police records, in case I missed something, if you'd like, but I can't guarantee that anything will come of it. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said, leaning down to pick up one of the busted robotic heads. Wires extended down from the broken neck, and Belter looked at it with a sad look on his face. "I have a lot of work to do with these before we send them out into the city again."

As he walked away, and the police began to clear out, Bumblebee turned to Omen. Something wasn't right. "You're the psychic, Lilith," she said, speaking to the formerly hooded girl. "Is he lying?"

As Omen shook her head, her read hair was pushed loose from where it was tucked in, and began to blow in the wind. "I couldn't tell," she said, pushing her hair back down into her robe. "His mind was cloaked—I couldn't get a read."

"Well," Speedy interjected, "that's sort of a confession of guilt all in itself, isn't it?"

"Exactly," Bumblebee said, peering in the direction that the professor had vanished off to. "If he was innocent…what would he have to hide?"

Steel City had undergone a lot of modification in the past year, as the Titans East and the city council enacted their plans for Project: Rejuvenation. The goals of this project were to drastically lower crime rates, set up the next generation of heroes with proper training, and fix up damaged buildings that could be dangerous. Because of this, their attention had been somewhat lax to other areas, and it was to one of these areas that Professor Lloyd Belter proceeded. "Damn those Titans!" he swore, walking through a dimly lit hallway. "They've set back our plans by months!"

He pushed open two large double doors as he spoke, entering a room with bright lights and several people. One of them, dressed in surgical gear, heard what he said and replied with a slightly sinister tone. "Don't worry, Lloyd. The robotics may be delayed, but the…_other_ part of our plan is right on schedule."

As Lloyd walked over to the other people, it soon became clear that they all stood around a table. "Yes," he said, giving off a vicious smile as he looked at what was on the table. "The Aryan Operation. Hitler had the right idea…he just wasn't thinking big enough. Wouldn't you agree…Hang Glider?" As he said these last words, he placed his hand upon the shoulder of the young man strapped to the table.

Hang Glider had been strapped into the table, injected with so many drugs that he couldn't even move, speak, or concentrate. After being ambushed outside his apartment on that fateful day, he had been taken here…and now, it was all going to be over. He couldn't use his powers here, and he didn't have his suit. His shirt was cut open, and there were a number of patterns drawn onto his chest. A cutting pattern.

"I really must thank you for…'volunteering' your _services_ to our little project," Lloyd Belter said to the captured hero. "Much appreciated, my friend." Then he turned to the other scientists standing around the table. "Kill him," he told them. "Make sure to harvest his metahuman organs…we'll need them for Phase Two."

The Headmistress of the H.I.V.E. was in a foul mood. After her school in Jump City had been destroyed, she had been left with only two options: disband her branch of the H.I.V.E. completely, or return to the main organization located just off of New Zealand. And disbanding wasn't an option…not if she didn't want to be hunted down and killed. So she came back to the main headquarters, bringing all of her students with her. Her past successes, and her sheer ruthlessness, were well known…but none of the leaders of the H.I.V.E. were treating her with any respect.

"I hold the single largest squadron of potential soldiers," she said, thrusting her finger in the face of the deadly man known as Damien Darhk. "I have faced off against the Teen Titans numerous times. I have developed contacts from all over the world, and brought you much of the information gathered by the Brotherhood of Evil. Yet you continue to treat me like a common lackey!"

"Please, Agatha," Damien said, pushing her finger from his face. "Your claims are well known, and have been documented. But you forget your flaws. Because of you, we have a great problem." He pointed to a video screen, and as Agatha, the Headmistress of what was known as the H.I.V.E. Academy for Extraordinary Young People, turned towards it, an image began to appear.

A black-haired girl with pale skin and a man with blond hair were creeping through a hallway, each of them showing signs of extreme caution. As they neared a door, they pushed it open, and charged in. The man shifted suddenly, becoming the being of electrical energy known as Killowat, while the girl began conjuring forth red energy as Argent. Both of them were members of the Titans International, and the room they entered was filled with soldiers bearing a familiar yellow insignia. "The H.I.V.E.!" Argent shouted, firing off red-energy daggers to pin two soldiers to the wall.

"Herald!" Killowat said into a communicator on his wrist, releasing a strong electrical current to hold several soldiers back. "We found it! Get in here, now!"

A loud roar, accompanied by musical notes, filled the room as a large portal opened up. Through that portal burst several others. Herald, the blue-caped wielder of the Gabriel Horn, spun and kicked one of the approaching soldiers in midair as he jumped through. A large caveman rushed forward, carrying a woman made of crystal. He brandished her as a sword, smashing the soldiers to the floor whenever they got in his way—such was the teamwork of Kole and Gnarrk.

The thick-shouldered man called Red Star, dressed in a uniform that seemed more appropriate for a snowfield than this room, ran forward and punched several soldiers to the side. As he gained momentum, he began to generate radioactive energy within himself, and when he slammed his fist into a giant weapon, that energy was released into the form of an explosion. The girl called Charisma stepped forward then, gathering the sounds of the battle and bending them forward towards the explosion. Her power allowed her to, among other things, create forcefields, and as such she could easily contain that explosion.

One of the soldiers pulled out a very large gun, and with a loud scream he began to fire. He was so focused on this attack that he didn't notice a roundhouse kick coming from behind him.

As the soldier slumped to the ground unconscious, Jericho stepped over top of him and forced open the man's eyelids. Contact. Jericho's body became immaterial, and slowly merged with the body of the soldier.

"They know nothing," Jericho said through the man's mouth. Although he was a mute, he could talk when he entered the body of someone unconscious…it was a weird feeling, but extremely useful. As he looked around, he saw that the battle was over. The Titans were victorious. "These soldiers were decoys. Nothing more."

"So then we've failed?" Kole asked.

"We at least figured out that this lead is a dead end," Red Star said with a frown. "The H.I.V.E. itself isn't here, and we're not going to find them from this location.' He looked over at Herald, who held the Gabriel Horn. "Teleport us out."

The video was over. "That was a direct image feed from one of our false hideouts," Damien said as he turned towards Agatha. "They were designed to distract anyone that might be trying to find us. There are others, as well."

"I don't understand what you're trying to insinuate, Damien," the Headmistress said with her voice cold.

"You brought the Titans here, Agatha," he said harshly. "Because of your antics in Jump City, the Teen Titans have become aware of our operations. When you came here, they followed, and now they're looking for you. Looking for **us**. Your carelessness put the entire organization at risk."

Damien began to walk away from her, but stopped after a few moments. "The council has voted to reinstate you as a master, Agatha," he said. "Out of respect for your husband. They'll be rebuilding a section of the headquarters for you to run your school in, to build soldiers for our cause. But I'm watching you, Agatha, and if I feel that you've become a liability…I'll kill you myself."

There was a certain island off the coast of Jump City that carried a great destiny. For the past three years, there had been a great force for good located on this island, protecting the city—and the world—from harm. A few months ago, that force for good suffered a terrible loss, and nearly fell apart…but they came back, stronger than ever. The Teen Titans recreated their Tower, basing it on Cyborg's original designs, while at the same time utilizing several needed upgrades. Titans Tower became the home for the new Titans West, and it would serve as their fortress in the war against evil.

Robin stood at the window, calm after the day's battle as he looked out over the city. It shone in the distance, and although much of it was still being rebuilt, there was hope there. Strength for the future, and the Boy Wonder knew that things would be okay. There were so many villains in the world, and the most dangerous—Slade, Brother Blood, the H.I.V.E., and the Brotherhood of Evil—they were out there, planning, preparing to strike. And it would be difficult to fend off their inevitable attacks…but Robin was not alone. He had friends behind him—powerful friends. The Teen Titans, all around the world, split into three separate teams. But no one would forget that the team, their legacy, began here.

Disaster had rocked most of the world lately, and the Teen Titans were among the many to suffer. That terrible crisis, destroying all that it did…Robin still could not get that image out of his mind. Raven's body, lying defeated on the ground…forever would it be scarred into Robin's memory. He had seen his friend die. That wasn't something one could get over.

Cyborg was still missing…after vanishing in the crisis, there was no trace left of him. The Titans had searched desperately, refusing to lose _two_ of their friends, but success eluded them. Victor Stone was gone, and Robin didn't know if he'd ever come back. But even without two of their strongest members…the team endured. Their strength fueled them, and allowed them to survive. Their Titans were more than just a few individuals named Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven. It was about heroes. The world would always need heroes. And as long as the Teen Titans were around…it would have them.

It was daytime. Lightning was jagged in the sky, chasing along the horizon with dread thunder following shortly behind. The red skies burned like fire, casting their light along the sole city in this universe.

The golden buildings stood tall in the sky, existing on the land that flew independently through the air. Symbols representing mighty spirits coated a large temple, and it was on the doorstep of that temple that she awoke. It took several minutes for her eyes to adjust to this light, but after those initial moments, she could see shapes approaching her. A hand was laid on her shoulder, and soon reached down to grasp her fingers. It was this hand that aided her in rising up, and soon the woman stood in front of this group of robed figures. "What is going on?" she asked, looking at them with confusion. "Who are you…where is this?" And then, perhaps, the most important question. Her mind was a virtual blank, and despite her best attempts, she could recall nothing. Her lips parted, and the words escaped her lips with complete helplessness. "Who am I?"

The man who helped her up smiled warmly, placing his hand on her shoulder once more in reassurance. "We mean no harm to you, priestess," he said as the other figures nodded their assent. "Your name is Raven. Welcome to New Azarath."


End file.
